I'm just curious how people decided their goal weights and because everyone is built differently how you decide what a healthy number is for yourself. Is it best to go by BMI? Or I've also heard that waist inches being under a certain amount has been found to be kind of a bench mark healthwise as well. Just curious how you all came up with your goals. Thanks!

I chose my goal because its somewhere i have been before and i was almost happy then/ My goal is between 110 and 120. I don't have a specific number. I've been as low as 113, but i still felt chubby because i had no muscle tone. I'm working out really hard though, so i figure i will have to look more fit when i get down there this time around, and maybe even sooner, its really just a guesstimate, I'll stop when I'm happy with what i see in the mirror. Stop losing weight that is. I plan on eating right and exercising for the rest of my life.

I don't think it's very important, overall, to pick a "final" goal weight when you are just starting out. It's good to pick A goal, but once that goal is reached, it should be evaluated in any case to determine whether more progress is desired.

For myself, my "goal weight" is the very top end of the "normal BMI" for my height, and it is a weight I have been previously at which I felt I looked very good. I also know that it will be near the final bodyfat I think I want to achieve (22ish %).

But when I get there, who knows? I may change my mind--I may want to weigh less or have less bodyfat or have more muscle. And that is OK. Because truly, I will always be a work in progress.

Thanks for the info! I think I'll make mine 145 for now. I haven't been thin since I was about 14 so I don't have much to gauge it by that way but I think thats a good number to try for Very true about the reevaluating as you go too. I have no idea what my body will look like that that weight. Exciting! Thanks again!

Mine is the smallest amount to get to a healthy BMI with a few lbs wiggle room for the fact that I'm dressed at the doctor's office vs. weighing naked at home.

But like others said, it's definitely not set in stone and is open for reassessment when I get closer. I'm actually sort of hoping that my goal weight finds me - meaning that I plan to eat the way I eat right now and keep the same level of activity, and figure that at some point, I'll stop losing weight and that will be my maintenance weight.

My goal weight is on the high end of normal for me. I picked it because I want to be healthy and 130's is a healthy number for me. And honestly, I don't know if I could maintain any lower then that - heck, I can't even get there!

I picked my goal weight based on my body fat percentage. My overall goal is to be within a range of 21%-23% body fat. Assuming that my lean body mass stays the same, that will put my ending weight around 163 lbs (give or take a few pounds)......According to the charts, I will still be overweight for my height, but for my body type I think that weight will be ideal.

I picked my goal weight because the last time I was there I felt great about my body. I was in size 14s and toned but still curvy. But I also was working out every day and unless I start ramping up closer to my goal I'm not going to have that same body at that weight. Neither myself nor my SO want me to get too thin.

But my final maintenance weight is really going to depend on my health, percentage of body fat, my size, how I look, and how I feel.

I definitely am not basing it on BMI since that isn't accurate on an individual level and doesn't take into account body composition or fitness.

My original goal weight was at 150 because I had been there before and loved the way I looked. After doing more research I settled on 140. I don't know what will happen when I get there because I could go lower.

I've been to goal weights before. My lowest was 147 when I was in my early twenties. I was young and in the military, so it was easy to maintain. The second one was in my 30's, I did well at 155-160, keeping the weight off the longest, at 7 years. So I decided on 157 because it would be an even 150 pound loss. But in the end it will be whatever weight I feel the most comfortable at and I can maintain. Since I will be in my mid 50's at goal, I assume I could be even a bit lower for health, but I am not sweating it.

Before the BMI thing, there were weight charts and mine said 119-130 for a woman with medium build. I have always thought 125 was the magic number for me. I put the goal 130 because I thought I'd be happy with it.

But now I am considering my waist size and body fat %. I have a small frame and am about 30% body fat, so I think my goal weight will likely be 120-125. But we'll see. My body may tell me when it's time to stop.